Newsletter n° 87 [ENG]

Please find below and attached a statement from the participants of a meeting organized in Paris by the TANY Collective with Clovis RAZAFIMALALA. Clovis was invited to Europe by AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL along with 9 other environmental advocates from several continents.

At the end of the statement, we ask all readers to please sign the petition set up by AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL by 22 January 2018.

Thank you for your support and for sharing this statement.

Best regards

The TANY Collective for the Defense of Malagasy Lands.

Statement from a meeting with Clovis RAZAFIMALALA

On Sunday, 17 December 2017, the TANY Collective for the defense of Malagasy lands, - whose goal is "to contribute to the defense of Malagasy lands and natural resources and to support citizens and peasants of Madagascar in their development and in their fights for the defense of their lands and natural resources "- invited activists and close friends to meet Clovis RAZAFIMALALA in Paris and listen to his presentation on "the situation and protection of environmental advocates in Madagascar".

We are very touched by the quality of the work performed by Clovis and his colleagues within the LAMPOGNO Coalition and the NATIONAL COALITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY ;

We note and appreciate the different strategies adopted by environmental advocates in Madagascar to unveil the methods used by illicit traffickers of rosewood and other precious natural resources of the country ;

We are outraged by the intimidation, threats, wrongful imprisonments and preventive detentions of environmental advocates when their intention is to lend a hand to leaders and authorities so that they can uphold the law and protect the environment and natural resources in order to benefit the descendants of all Malagasy families ;

Like all the European citizens he met during his stay in Europe, and like all the organizations and authorities he met in France, we strongly support Clovis RAZAFIMALALA and his colleagues in their firm desire to continue to protect the environment and natural resources of the ’Big Island’, the effects of which concerns all people on this planet.

Given his courage and his legitimate and admirable determination, we call on Malagasy decision-makers and officials to cancel the conditional sentence of 5 years imprisonment and the fines imposed on Clovis RAZAFIMALALA so that he can carry out with even greater success and without worry his tasks of regional coordinator of the National Coalition of Environmental Advocacy for a better protection of the Environment in Madagascar.

Paris, 17 December 2017 All participants in the meeting organized by the TANY Collective

All those who wish to express their support for this demand addressed to the Malagasy authorities for the cancellation of the condemnation of Clovis RAZAFIMALALA are invited to sign the petition set up by AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL by January 22, 2018 :